Earlier this month, representatives from local churches and non-profit organizations gathered together to share conversation about how to best meet the immediate and longer-term need for food assistance in our community. Action items from that meeting included support for the upcoming community Thanksgiving meal, providing food boxes for families at Enota Elementary school, and posting signs to communicate where to go for food assistance.
It was also identified that in many cases, food is available, but difficult for those without transportation to access. To that end, Grace has arranged to fund vouchers for the WeGo transportation service. We are also working to form a team to help with food deliveries for Sunshine Seniors and the Georgia Mountain Food Bank. When they have a need, they will call us, at which point Fr. Brandon, Sister Genevieve Lynn, or I will send an email to the Grace Food Delivery Team. Someone from that group can go to either St. John’s Baptist Church or the Georgia Mountain Food Bank to pick up the food and take it to those who need it.
Thanks to so many for reaching out to see how they can help with food delivery and assistance, and thanks to those who contributed additional funds to the discretionary account. If you would like to be included in the Grace Food Delivery Team, please submit your name and contact information below and we can be in touch.
Our Outreach Ministry Teams continue to meet, and they are hard at work gathering information from agencies and partners as we all pay attention to where the needs are. We will continue to discern how we can faithfully respond to the needs, given the particular pressures we face now in our country. As we continue to say, our life is our practice, and this is a meaningful way that we can all embody compassion in the world today. I am sure that other opportunities for support will arise, and I know that we will all seek creative and prayerful ways to respond to the needs of our neighbors. As our Baptismal Covenant reminds us, we are called to love our neighbor as ourself, honor the dignity of every human being, and seek justice in the world. Thank you for all the ways you remind me of what is possible.
Bless you all,
Stuart